I bought two more SK68 clones off ebay, $7.50 for a 5 mode XM-L T6, and $4.80 for 3 mode Q5 (guessing XR-E, doesn’t say). A pair of Trustfire flames last night, and now looking for a XP-G2 emitter on or and a 16mm star.
Is a copper star a big plus?
I am thinking it might be best to buy emitter and star separately and solder myself.
I’m guessing the XML is a SK98 and not a 68? I seem to remember somebody saying they bought a 68 on ebay where the ad said XML but it was XRE or XPE. Hope that’s not the same seller.
If you have or plan to buy solder paste, the bare LED could work, so the paste is an investment for future mods. It’s $3-4 at Fasttech and DX and up from there. If you already have access to paste and are using an existing board then that would be the way to go. If you aren’t planning to do more emitter mods, then I’d buy it already mounted.
IO had the XPG2 on either material on their site (see pg 1 and 2 of link above) even with a choice of tint. Copper is maybe a couple dollars more, arguably well worth it if you have a hollow pill even with trying to backfill more copper underneath and to the sides (above the driver). Less important with the small host, it is also critical for higher (2.5+A) currents than are prudent in the SK68.
Yipes, I am not ready for smd hot air paste soldering. For this I will skip copper and buy one of the premounted AL stars. Checked a few vendors, looks same, best price and easiest is ebay lik_led_com for $2.95 shipped, but ebay is being fussy right now so …
Good link BTW, I’m still reading it.
Well hard to guess on ebay, but it says its a Cree Q5, and that is what is marked on the body, but description is XM-L T6.
Specification Torch:
100% Brand New.
Type of LED : CREE XM-L T6 LED.
Adjustable Focus : Can adjust its focus for different usage.
Max Output brightness : Can come to 800 lumens [lm].
Internal wiring applies the high efficient booster circuit, working voltage is wide and can utilize the batteries in the largest extent.
Material: High quality 6061T Aluminum.
Switch: Press Tail-cap on/off.
5 Mode: high / Middle / low / strobe / sos / Zoom in & Zoom out.
Power by : 1x 14500 Battery (Battery Not Include).
Colour : Black.
Size : 115.7mm x 30mm(Head Dia)/23mm(body Dia).
Weight : 85g.
The weight seems higher than a typical SK68 which is around 65g, and specs all over for performance, but it clearly says 14500 and shows a SK68 clone, so I would not be bashful about filing a SNA if the vendor gave any problems from it.
Arrived today, garden variety XR-E Q5 as far as I can tell. The emitter is a cool white, but not bad, works well with a 14500 during a minute or two of testing, but the emitter is the 3 bars inside a U, not the 6 bars it should have. Emailed the seller, we will see how it goes. I told them its the wrong emitter and asked for the correct one.
Not the nicest sk68 clone either, lens is loose enough to rattle, some debris behind it I cleaned off, fingerprints on the reflector, tail threads ok, lens bezel threads and oring dry.
Too $$$, only one I found was $11 shipped. At the power level I am looking at doesn’t seem much bang/buck.
It does have me thinking about “rethinking” mounting an emitter more in line with PC cpu practices using a spring clip to hold the chip mechanically well connected to the heat sink structure for something higher powered.
How are you getting $11? It's $7.45 and shipping is included.
Sorry, first time I looked for one it had $4 shipping, didn’t notice this one was free.
I have a XP-G2 on the way now using Al substrate a bit less than $3 shipped.
I am thinking about trying a couple others, maybe an XM-L2 or, maybe not depends on how I like the G2 when it gets here.
Mine is on alum, but it is backed up by a bit of material soldered underneath for better heat sinking. If your pill doesn’t have a full bottom for the PCB to mount to that is extra important.
Since it’s a small light you don’t need 2.8+Amps like you could use with copper PCB - mine uses the orig 3 mode driver with the 14500 and it is plenty warm enough to the touch. Since you want some run time, you can get good lumens with reasonable amps on the alum anyway.
You can try swapping lenses with your others to see what you like. I was using one that slightly over-focused, but I swapped the lens back to the orig, and gave the single mode away last week.
Test your 3 mode light’s tail amp draw with a 14500, if it’s anywhere around 1.5A you’re plenty fine (personally I’d shop for another one if not at least close to 1A). These 68s can be rebuilt with copper and higher amp & better mode drivers, but most will say they’re just not worth all of that.
The single mode I gave away was an XPE that draws well from a NiMH, not so much from a 14500. The guy I gave it to has been using it over the last week while replacing his volvo inboard motor (instead of his beloved Harbor Freight 9 LED). A couple days ago I was holding the light on flood while he was cleaning impeller bits out of his water pump assembly - unexpectedly, he asked for zoom so that he could get more intense light down in the passages where some of the rubber had jammed itself - as a well seasoned aircraft mechanic, he likes and understands the useful versatility of the humble SK68.
I think you will like it, as long a it has enough heat sinking to run as long as you want.
PS - some of the cheap ebay leds may not be R5 brightness bin; I would test tint before installing if you’re adding heat sink material - I can’t stand them when they are too green or purple - clamp the board to some alum or copper and extend wires from driver to test - you can put a reflector or the lens over it to check on wall or ceiling.
I didn’t think about testing the star first, good idea.
I have the HF 9 LED’s all over the house, and the chore now is to make sure I dump the cheap batteries before they leak, which recently includes Duracells in the 24 pack. I am totally sold on the SK68 clone, using Eneloops they are actually cheaper than free HF due to 1 vs 3 batteries. Wife still prefers the HF though, no point in even trying to figure out why.